Christmastime and the Wrath Flows Strong
by xJonesy-as-in-Alfred-Fx
Summary: An honest mistake leads to broken trust. Broken trust leads to broken bones. Will Tugger ever win Bombalurina back?
1. Playing Games

"What was he thinking?"

I was venting to my sister, Demeter, even though I was mad at her, too.

"Look, he said he was sorry, Bomba-"

"Sorry? _Sorry_? What's 'sorry' is his ability to act like nothing even happened!" I prowled around the wooden crate Demi was sitting on. "What the hell were _you _thinking?"

She shifted in her seat. "It was after we'd shared that eggnog last night. I guess I walked into the wrong den-"I shot her a glare as cold as the snow under my paws. "Hey, you know what dairy does to me!" she held up her paws innocently. "Anyway, I saw Tugger and thought he was Munki. They look surprisingly alike in the dark. . ." Another glare. "Alright, I know Tugger's taller and walks and sounds _completely _different, but I was drunk! He took advantage of me! He just led me into his den and we-"

"Alright!" I growled. I'd heard enough. I took a deep breath and exhaled. My breath made a thick cloud of frost. "It wasn't your fault _entirely_. But if the door is locked tonight, "I said with a sharp edge to my voice, "don't expect to sleep inside!" I stalked off. "Maybe Munkustrap will let you bunk with him," I called over my shoulder, "if he isn't as mad at you as I am!"

"Sure, I mess around with all the queens every day and Bomba never says a word. But the minute I make an honest mistake, she goes off on me!" I ran a hand through my thick mane. "I mean sure, if some tom were to use you, I'd want to tear them to pieces! But it was an honest mistake! It was dark, and Demeter just walks in here without warning, looking _very _sexy I might add, and I assume it's Bombalurina! So I do what I'd normally do with Bomba- take her inside for the night! " I sit down on my bed. "Am I that wrong, Truff?"

Truffalora, my baby sister, was mute. She sat on my bed, legs crossed, listening to my predicament. She nodded slowly, thinking. "_I wondered what all that noise was last night," _she signed with a smirk. "_I don't know, Tugger, she seemed pretty bloodthirsty. I'd hide out until she cools off."_

I chuckled. "Yeah, right. Bombalurina letting go of a grudge." I hugged Truff, embracing her natural warmth. "Thanks, kitten. You're a great help."

"_Stop it! Now go hide. This is the first place she'll look, you know." _My sister pushed me out the door, totally exposing me to any threat Bomba might pose.

"Yeah, thanks, kitten," I muttered under my breath as I ran away.


	2. Chapter 2: Hide and Seek

'Psssst, Quaxo!" I whispered hoarsely from behind the TSE1.

He just sat there in a lotus position, eyes closed, probably trying to block me out. He squeezed his eyes tighter.

"Misto!" I hissed again.

Mistoffelees open one eye. "What's my name?" he taunted.

I sighed. That kid could be so hot-headed sometimes. And that's coming from the Rum Tum Tugger.

"Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!"

The tuxedo tom grinned and sprang up into the air, landing gracefully on the hood of the car.  
"What can I do you for, Tugger ol' pal?" His glossy black coat gave an additional sparkle to his equally dark eyes.

"I need to hide from Bomba."

"Ah, yes, I heard about that." He smiled and jumped to the ground. "You sly Pollicle, going after her _sister_, of all queens!"

"It was an accident!" I fumed. "Just help me hide!"

"Hm. Well, I can show you some good hiding spots, do a camouflage spell, make you invisible-"

"Yeah yeah- wait, what was that about being invisible?"

"I was kidding, Tugger-"

"Please?"

"No!"

I grabbed Misto by the shoulders and began shaking him. "You gotta help me here! Bomba's out for blood! MY blood!"

"Okay, I got that part already. . ." Mistoffelees trailed off as he looked at something behind me.

"What?" I turned around, expecting to see Bomba and make a break for it. Instead, it was my little sister leaning on the far fence wall and playing with her collar.

I dropped Misto as a smirk swept across my face. He had a crush on Truff! I could use this to my advantage. . .

"You know, the Christmas Eve Ball is coming up. . ."

"Yeah?" he breathed, his eyes completely glazed.

"I bet I can, ah, hook you up with a date." I waved to Truff above my head where Misto couldn't see. "_Hey, kitten!" _I signed. She noticed, and started smiling and waving in her own bubbly fashion.

"You see? She's happy to see you!"

"R-really?"

"C'mon, Quax, be a tom! She'll be yours for the big night if you just help me out."

Misto blushed as he quickly thought it over. "Alright, I'll give it my best shot."

"This is amazing! You can't see me, right?"

"No, Tugger, for the millionth time, _you are invisible!"_

"Just checking, jeeze!" I crept up behind him and flicked his ear, careful to get out of the way before another lightning bolt singed my tail.

"Get serious here! It'll all go to waste if she hears you!" He blew on his paw. "So, about that date-"

"Misto? Who are you talking to?"

We both turned around and saw Demeter.

"I was just, uh, thinking out loud, Demi."

"Mm-hmm. Well, I was just wondering if you'd seen Tugger."

I tried not to laugh too loud.

"Um, no. Not recently."

No one could call Mistoffelees a liar.

"If you see him, tell him that Bomba's mad as Hell. She's on the hunt, so I'd stay out of her way."

"Will do. Thanks, Demeter."

I couldn't believe I was actually talking to a Peke.

Had I really stooped to this level of antagonism?  
Yes.  
Did I really want to maul Rum?  
_Hell_ yes.  
Would there be any heartache involved while doing so?  
No. Only sheer joy.

"Alright, you stupid Peke, let's go find a chew toy."

I had a large Peke on a leash. He was _supposed_ to be ferocious. He was _supposed_ to be bloodthirsty. Instead, I had a fat, slobbering, lazy Bulldog who wouldn't budge. He lay on his back, snoring and drooling.

"I said, come _on_, you stupid dog!" I pulled hard on his leash to wake him up.

"Well!" He huffed. "For such a pretty queen you can be quite a pain in the rump! My name is not 'stupid Peke' or 'stupid dog'. It's Coriander. And as I told you before, I am a vegan. I'm only doing this because I'd like to see this chap you despise, the Rum Tum Tugger, is it?"

I sighed. "Yes. And I didn't say you had to eat him, Saggy-Ass, just shake him up a little. Maybe some blood, a few broken bones, you get the idea." I held Tugger's belt out so Coriander could sniff it. "Here, get his scent."

He covered that sucker with dog snot as his wet nose ran over it. "Alright, I think I've got the bloke's scent." He started trotting off toward the heart of the Junkyard. "Righty-oh, lass, let's get a move on!"

I couldn't believe I'd forgotten my belt at home. This meant that, even though no one could see me, I was wandering around half-naked. I shuddered at the thought of the invisibility wearing off, exposing my stark body. I went back to my hiding spot behind the car. Better safe than sorry.

"Whoof! Whoof! By Jove, I think I've got it!"

_What the-_

Then I saw her running behind a Peke. Even from here, I could see the fire in her eyes. _Thank you, Misto . . ._

"Well, where is he?" Bomba snapped.

"I swear, love, he's here somewhere. . ." Crap. She had a dog on my tail. And it was so close to becoming literal, because he got closer and closer. "I can smell it, as strong as ever. He's here somewhere. . ."

Bomba stood there for a moment, thinking. "Hmm. I bet this was done by Mistoffelees." She picked up a clump of snow and molded it into a snowball. "I think he told me once about an invisibility spell. If I just do this. . ." she aimed straight for my head.

_Crap._

_Sklomp! _The slushball made solid contact with my right eye. "Yeowch!" I yowled. The impact threw me back a couple of feet.

"Aha!" Bomba lunged for my face, clawing and scratching on the way down.

I rolled onto my back, barely missing being graced by her claws. Stupidly enough, rolling around only exposed me even more. I started to run, but she grabbed my legs and dragged me back. Sitting on my chest, she purred, "Did you miss me?" with the most wicked smile on her face.

"Bomba," I gasped, "we both know it was an accident!"

"Oh, I know that, Rum. What I'm concerned about is why the heck you think you can 'make a mistake' and then brush it off like nothing happened in the first place!" She delt me another hefty blow, this time to my other eye. I winced in pain. "This isn't like when you were flirting with the kittens, or when you made out with Exotica, or even when you ditched me on our first date!" She stood up and kicked me in the stomach, knocking the remainder of my breath out of me. "We're through, Tugger!" She screamed. "And I mean it this time!" She stormed off, throwing my belt behind her.

I didn't know if the tears welling in my eyes were from my bruised eyes and possibly cracked ribs, or from my first official breakup. All I knew was that this was the most and the worst pain I had ever been in.


	3. Chapter 3: Jellicle Christmas Ball

**I wanna give a quick "thank-you" to mu unofficial Beta, Gabgalrox. Thanks, Gibster!**

"Bomba, please!" Demeter pulled my arm in a failed attempt to arouse me. "You can't miss the ball!"

"Watch me," I mumbled drowsily from under my quilt.

"But we've always gone together! You and I, we always double date-"

"Well I don't have a date this year, Demeter! Just leave me alone!" I snarled and jumped at her defensively. I could feel my fur bristle and rise on the back of my neck. She backed away, her face showing clear disgust. "Look, I'm sorry, Demi-"

"Forget it. I just wanted you to have a good time for once, Bomba. You've been stressed all week."

She left my den to stand with Munkustrap, who had been waiting and listening to the whole breakout.  
"Guys, I'm really sorry. Look, give me 5 minutes to get fixed up and I'll meet you there, okay?" they both nodded and left.  
_Almighty Cat, I hope I don't see him tonight. . ._

* * *

"_I still can't believe you're making me do this. . ." _ And I couldn't believe I was still trying to convince Truff to go to the Ball, which was _tonight_.

"Oh, c'mon, kitten, it'll be fun! Misto's a pretty decent tom!" She blinked at me as if I was missing something extremely obvious.

"_But Misto scares me," _she complained as I attached a red ribbon around her neck in place of her collar. "_He does that freaky lightning thing sometimes and it's weird."_

I chuckled as I tied the last knot. "Would I ask you to do this if I thought you'd get hurt?"

She looked in the mirror, adjusting my strange knots and ties, and then looked at me. "_You haven't been wrong yet . . ."_

"So why don't you trust me?"

She shook her head and gave me a half-hearted smile. "_That's just it. I think I trust you too much." _

I rumpled her golden mane, an exact replica of my own. "Are you ready?" she nodded and took my arm in hers.

"_Let's go, Rum."_

We met up just outside the party with Mistoffelees, who was with Demeter and Munkustrap. My brother and I had changed from our collars into black bowties while Demi and Truff wore their red bows. I handed Truff off to Misto, giving him a Big Brother look I'd learned to master, which translated into "Hurt her and I'll kill you". He gulped and took her arm, making them both blush. As they entered the ball, Munkustrap followed them. Demeter, however, lingered behind with me. There was something lurking in her deep green eyes. Was it guilt? I sure knew it was mirrored in my own.

"I'm sorry, Tugger. I know this is the first time you haven't had a date for, well, anything." I sighed as she squeezed my arm.

We made our way to a clear spot on the ground. Demi leaned into my shoulder, sending goose bumps up my spine.

She smiled. "This is almost like old times," she whispered.

I wrapped my arm around her waist. "Yeah, if only things had worked out between us, maybe-"

"We wouldn't be in this mess!" we finished together. We both laughed silently and I felt tears sting my eyes. I felt a couple spill down my cheeks onto Demeter's shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just give a minute." She squeezed me once more as she got up.

"Demeter, wait."

"Hmm?"

I let myself crash onto her shoulder, my face stained with tears. I fell to my knees. "Shh, it's okay. . ." she crooned. She sank to my level, rubbing my back. "Its okay, Tugger."

"But I miss her," I choked out between sobs. I didn't know I was capable of crying.

"Just cry it out, Rum. You'll feel better if you just let it out." I listened.

An hour later, she proved right. We'd stayed outside for a long time. By the time I was ready to go in, the ball was in full swing.

Demeter escorted me in, holding my paw. "Are you sure you're ready to go back right now?" I nodded, brushing a few stray tears from my red eyes.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I've got some people waiting on me."

She grinned. "Good. Have fun. And if you ever need me again," she added, still holding my paw, "all you have to do is ask. I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Demi. You're a great friend."

"Yeah, I remember when I was much more than that." With that, she left me to find Munkustrap.

"Uncle Tugger!" I was greeted with a huge hug from Jemima when I walked into the "Nursery". The Nursery was just the Infirmary with a couple of pillows and toys for the kids. The kittens were never allowed at the Christmas Eve Ball, so every year they come in here. I used to think myself too cool to come here, but Bomba had told me stories and I had gotten curious. I felt a lump growing in my throat.

"Are you gonna sing tonight, Tugger?" Electra asked.

I sat down on a blue beanbag. "Naw, I thought I'd spend tonight with you guys this year."

Etcetera and Electra giggled.

"So what're you gonna do here?" Pouncival perked up.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. Anything to avoid Bomba's piercing eyes . . . her accusing glare . . .

"Sing for us, then!" Jemima suggested, bursting into giggles.

"Yes! Yes! Sing for us, Tugger!" Everyone joined into the demand. I shook my head. But the kittens were persuasive. By persuasive, I meant I was being ravaged.

"Alright!" I shouted before I got glomped by crazy fans. "I've actually got a new one I learned a couple of weeks ago. Here goes:

_Brown mice roasting on an open fire_

_The Frost Tom's nipping at your paws_

_Carols sung by a Jellicle choir_

_We're waiting for Sinter Claws_

_Everybody knows_

_A salmon and some mistletoe_

_Help to make the season bright_

_Tiny kits with their eyes all aglow_

_Will find it hard to sleep tonight_

_They know that Sinter's on his way_

_He's loaded lots of fish and birdies on his sleigh_

_And every queen's kitten is going to spy_

_To see if Pollicles really know how to fly_

_And so I'm offering this simple phrase_

_To kits from 1 to 92_

_Although it's been said many times many ways_

_Merry Christmas to you_

As I sang the last note, I noticed Jemima's head asleep on my lap. Everyone else had fallen asleep, too. I didn't know whether to feel proud or insulted. I silently left the room. It was time to go home.

"Truff, I'm sorry!" I heard Misto yell from the dance floor. I made my way through the crowd to see what exactly had happened.

What happened, I didn't think I'd ever find out. But what I saw was Truff sprawled out on the floor, her coat stained with punch, and buried under a mountain of snow. The look she gave me was an "I told you so" look I dreaded.

"I honestly don't know what happened, Rum! I was just dancing with her, and-" I almost laughed and punched him at the same time, but I ended up doing neither.

"Save it, Quax. Just help me dig her out." He jumped to my side immediately.

Once she was finally free she jumped into my arms."_I told you this was a bad idea!"_

I picked her up and started toward the exit. "I'm sorry. Let's get you home."

_"Say it."_  
"No."  
_"Say it."_

"Fine! You were right!"


End file.
